Salford’s well-loved King’s Arms is playing host to new acting workshops and monthly performances from up and coming physical theatre company, Dapertutto.
Photo Credit: Tom Baker capturing Dappertutto's Lionman Preformance
Every month, on the third Monday, the pub provides a space for actors and performers to entertain guests with a range of original skits, poems and visual art as part of a free ‘DaperLab’ scratch night.
February’s set began with an enticing piece of physical theatre which had only been rehearsed hours prior, but the audience was either awe- inspired or roaring with laughter.
Some thought-provoking poetry followed. ‘My Town’ was an attempt to love the decay of a hometown you’re outgrowing, and ‘Merseyside Mourns’ portrayed the anger towards the blind eye being turned to the city’s dire situations.
An emotional short film about young carers called ‘Brandon’ had the audience quiet and pondering but the slapstick performance ‘Lamentations of a Melancholy Crab’, raised the mood of the room and showcased the true versatility of these young actors.
Cameron Jones, an acting graduate and who now runs the promising new company alongside friend Tom Hardman, created the DaperLab project out of frustration over lack of opportunities fro emerging actors.
He said: “I feel like actors are always put at the bottom of the pile, and if you want to be involved in something- you always have to pay.”
Both Jones and Hardman are working actors and creatives who are spreading the word off their own backs and out of their own pockets.
These labs will hopefully inspire actors and acting students to get involved and fuel the creativity for these scratch nights.
Jones says he wants to build an open community and less of a closed-off club.
Most rehearsals don’t start with predetermined pieces but are more improvised. He said: “People will bring costume, props or music and we’ll start with a conversation and laugh about ideas.”
The night ended with a bittersweet extract from ‘Lionman’, which they showcased at Greater Manchester Fringe in 2018.
The performance has been described as "If Charlie Chaplin had done Noir."- Reviewer Number 9.
This is Dapertutto’s first show which is going on tour this month.
Hardman plays Leonard, a writer attempting to balance work, romance, anxiety and masculinity.
Dapertutto are crowdfunding to help pay for sound engineers and performance venues. To help click here.
There will also be more opportunities in future for those who aren’t trained actors, but just interested, all for free.
Overall, Dapertutto’s scratch night was filled with comedy, curiosity and consciousness of current situations.
Follow Dapertutto and the King’s Arms on twitter for updates and opportunities for the monthly shows and visit Dapertutto online to read of Cameron Jones and Tom Hardman’s achievements.
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